Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:
- That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
- We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
- On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.
By learning about Gorham (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.
As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Gorham. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Name Variations for Gorham ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
Another variation: Gorhan.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Gorham. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Gorham.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Gorham is located in Cumberland County.
To see how the shape of Maine's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cumberland County: Androscoggin, Oxford, Sagadahoc & York.
Below are the counties that are near Gorham. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gorham:
- Cumberland County (The home county of Gorham)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gorham, with the one closest to Gorham listed first.
- North Scarborough
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- North Scarborough is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scarborough
- Westbrook
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- South Windham
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- South Windham is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Windham
- Newhall
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Newhall is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
- Sagamore Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sagamore Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagamore Village
- Stroudwater
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Stroudwater is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stroudwater
- Sebago Lake
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sebago Lake is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebago Lake
- Standish
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lone Creek Village ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lone Creek Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Creek Village
- Danish Village ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Danish Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danish Village
- North Gorham
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- North Gorham is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Gorham
- Cash Corner
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cash Corner is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cash Corner
- Androscoggin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gorham, with the one closest to Gorham listed first.
- West Poland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Danville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Danville is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danville
- Durham
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Poland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- East Poland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- East Poland is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Poland
- Rumford Junction
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Rumford Junction is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumford Junction
- Littlefield Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Littlefield Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlefield Corner
- Minot
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Minot is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minot
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,595 people
- Moussam
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Moussam is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moussam
- Penley Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Penley Corner is located in Androscoggin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penley Corner
- Lisbon Falls
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lisbon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oxford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gorham, with the one closest to Gorham listed first.
- Durgintown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Durgintown is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durgintown
- Rankins Mill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rankins Mill is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankins Mill
- East Hiram
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- East Hiram is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Hiram
- Hiram
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Kezar Falls
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Kezar Falls is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kezar Falls
- Porter
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Porter is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,525 people
- Spurrs Corner
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Spurrs Corner is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurrs Corner
- Denmark
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- East Denmark
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- East Denmark is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Denmark
- East Otisfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- East Otisfield is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Otisfield
- East Brownfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- East Brownfield is located in Oxford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brownfield
- Brownfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sagadahoc County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gorham, with the one closest to Gorham listed first.
- Pejepscot
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pejepscot is located in Sagadahoc County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pejepscot
- Topsham
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sebasco Estates
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Small Point
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gorham, with the one closest to Gorham listed first.
- Buxton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Buxton is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buxton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,368 people
- Chicopee
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Chicopee is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicopee
- Bar Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kimbles Corner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Kimbles Corner is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimbles Corner
- Hollis Center
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hollis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Hollis is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,807 people
- Clarks Mills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Clarks Mills is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Mills
- Old Orchard Beach
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Dayton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- East Limington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- East Limington is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Limington
- Biddeford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- North Limington
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- North Limington is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Limington
- Carroll County (NH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gorham, with the one closest to Gorham listed first.
- South Effingham
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Woodman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Woodman is located in Carroll County (NH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodman
- East Wakefield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Effingham
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Wakefield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Freedom
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gorham, see our County-by-County Page for Gorham.
Cemeteries Near Gorham ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gorham.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Gorham - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gorham covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gorham, with the one closest to Gorham listed first.
- South Street Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Eastern Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Ft. Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Highland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- South Gorham Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Nonesuch Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Conant Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Smith - Anderson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- North Street Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hillside Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- St. Hyacinthe Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (342 more) ...
- Browns Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Old Anderson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Sapling Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Gorham had a population of 800 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Gorham had a population of 17,962 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gorham, with the one closest to Gorham listed first.
- West Gorham
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- West Gorham is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Gorham
- Groveville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Groveville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveville
- North Scarborough
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- North Scarborough is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Scarborough
- South Buxton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- South Buxton is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Buxton
- Westbrook
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- South Windham
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- South Windham is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Windham
- Buxton Center
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Buxton Center is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buxton Center
- White Rock
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- White Rock is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Rock
- Cumberland Mills
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Cumberland Mills is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Mills
- Newhall
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Newhall is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
- Chicopee
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Chicopee is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicopee
- Bar Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Stroudwater
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Stroudwater is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stroudwater
- Prides Corner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Prides Corner is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prides Corner
- Sebago Lake
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sebago Lake is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebago Lake
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gorham. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gorham.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Gorham ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gorham.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Gorham. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Gorham and those printed in the larger area surrounding Gorham.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3> of Gorham.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Gorham:
- Websites specific to Maine
- Pages specific to Cumberland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Androscoggin County
- Oxford County
- Sagadahoc County
- York County
- Carroll County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Maine
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Gorham, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Gorham) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |